Messages urging Gov. Jay Nixon to veto Missouri legislation dealing with deer are outnumbering those calling for him to sign the bills, according to a report by Associated Press. A few hundred letters and electronic messages have landed in Nixon's mailbox and inbox amid disagreement over regulations for deer breeders and hunting preserves.

In an historical reenactment of what took place in Pennsylvania in 2006, Missouri lawmakers passed legislation this year that would classify captive deer as livestock with the Agriculture Department responsible for the industry. Currently, the Agriculture and Conservation departments in Missouri are involved with overseeing facilities, and conservation officials have advanced proposed rules they say are needed to combat chronic wasting disease but that the deer industry contends are unnecessary and would force operators out of business.

AP reports that more than five times as many messages called for Nixon to veto the legislation as urged him to sign. He faces a mid-July deadline to take action. A spokesman said the governor has not yet decided what he will do.

Echoing Pennsylvania's 2006 debate, many in Missouri calling for a veto said conservation officials are best-suited for managing deer and expressed concern about what would happen if chronic wasting disease spreads. The disease affects deer, and conservation officials report there have been 11 confirmed cases of chronic wasting disease in captive deer in Missouri and 10 cases in wild deer.

The Missouri Conservation Commission this month endorsed regulations that include a ban on importing deer from other states and requiring double-fencing for new permit-holders. A 30-day public comment period starts July 16. Deer farmers have argued that the fencing requirement is too costly for them.

Deer Die-Off at Alabama Game Farm Investigated

A recent die-off at a licensed deer farm in north Alabama has killed more than 50 whitetail deer. Preliminary tests conducted by pathologists at the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries laboratories have revealed that the contributing cause of the incident is viral in nature, although further testing continues. Since the outbreak began in May, the die-off has been contained to the breeding facility and is thought to pose no threat to humans, pets or livestock outside the facility.

Earlier this year, the facility passed a routine herd inspection, which is conducted twice annually as part of a joint monitoring program between the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries and the ADAI.

Breeding facilities are required by law to report any animal deaths. When the deer began to die, the breeding facility owner reported the deaths to WFF and ADAI as required and has cooperated to contain the outbreak. The WFF and ADAI are working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to determine the exact cause of the deaths. ADAI pathologists and veterinarians are working to determine the origins of the pathogens.

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Avoiding Boat Sale Scams

It's summer boating season and some boat buyers and sellers are getting ripped off, according to Boat Owners Association of The United States, a national boater advocacy, safety and services group. BOATUS recently outlined the top boat-selling scams reported to its Consumer Protection Bureau and offered some ways to greatly improve your chance of a smooth sale or purchase, and when to walk away.

Any time a buyer offers to pay more for the asking price of the boat being sold, run away. Today, it's easy for criminals to print counterfeit bank checks, and by the time your bank figures out the loss, the bad guys are far away, and you will be liable for the lost funds. Always contact the financial institution on which the check was drawn to verify the account, but don't dial the phone number printed on the check, if possible. The amount of the bank check should also match in numerals and words, and the account number should not be shiny in appearance.

Official checks are generally perforated on at least one side.In a twist on the same for the electronic age, recently PayPal has become a target for scammers. A phony buyer asks to send substantially more than the asking price. Later, the seller gets a fake confirmation email from PayPal with his user ID for more than the agreed purchase price, with instructions from the buyer advising the seller to send the extra money to a shipper.

In an escrow service scam, a bogus seller advertises a boat on a website at a low, but not scam-worthy price. When the scammer finds a buyer, they tell them to use a legitimate sounding yet fictitious escrow service, like GoogleMoney.com. But once the funds are transferred, the buyer will never hear from the seller again. It's wise to use an escrow service for a long-distance purchase, but be very cautious with escrow services you're not familiar with, and go with established providers such as eBay's Escrow.com. Email red flags that hint you may be taken for a ride include poor grammar, spelling and language use; no phone number for the buyer or seller; generic references such as "merchandise" to the boat being sold; changing names and locations in emails; a buyer who shows no interest in haggling over price or seeing the boat firsthand; a buyer or seller who has no interest in discussing titling or verifying the boat's hull identification number.